The Picnic in July
by imagine.life.sweeter
Summary: Booth discovers that Brennan has never been on a picnic before and they spend the evening together on Brennan's first picnic. A simple, fun oneshot. R&R!


**Aloha mon amis!**

**Combining the lovely worlds of Hawaii & France in my living room, LOL. I was bored, so I decided to writing a random oneshot. It is in no way related to Out of the Lab, my current Bones fanfic.**

**Sooooo... read & enjoy!**

**DiSCLAiMER: I do not own Bones or its characters. I merely twist them around they way I wish they were. :)**

***

"Yo, Bones," said Booth, walking into his partner's glassy office, sun streaming in through her windows. She looked up from her laptop and smiled.

"Hi Booth. Do we have a case?" she asked, standing up and smoothing the skirt of her floral sundress. She seemed a lot more relaxed than she had been recently. Maybe since they hadn't had a case in a week, so they'd been able to catch up on all the loose paperwork they had lying around. They had spent the past few nights filing over Thai food and pizza.

"No, just stopping by." He sat down on her desk. "It's beautiful outside, isn't it? The perfect day in July for a picnic."

"It is nice out," she mused, "But I've never had a picnic." She felt embarassed revealing that to him. She'd never told anyone that she had never gone on a picnic before. What was the big deal behind picnics anyway? It was just a social gathering for friends or lovers. Brennan had never had a lot of free time on her hands for a picnic anyway.

"Never had a picnic? Bones, that's horrible."

"No, I just never had the time. Is there something wrong with that?" she asked defensively, cocking her head. Booth was perplexed- was she challenging him to take her on a picnic? He could never really break Bones down, figure out what she was saying, what she was feeling. He just knew that never going on a picnic was _definetly_ un-American.

"Yes. There is. So we are going on a picnic later. I'll pick you up at six." Booth leapt off her desk and was out of the office without another word. Brennan smiled to herself and hummed softly. Her first picnic. This could be fun.

"Bye Angela!" Brennan called, closing the door to her office around five o'clock. The brunette poked her head out of the next office to say goodbye.

"Leaving so early?" she asked, "Why?"

"Booth is taking me out on a picnic." Angela squealed and jumped up and down. She had always known, deep down, that Booth and Brennan were meant to be. She knew her best friend well. She was _so_ going to deny that this was a date in three, two, one...

"It _isn't_ a date." BiNGO. Brennan put her hands on her hips and pursed her lips. "Angela, is it wrong that I've never been on a picnic before?"

"No, sweetie, it isn't. You're not like everyone else." Angela smiled and headed back towards her office. "Have fun on your date!"

"It's not a date!" Brennan protested, but Angela's door was already closed.

The doorbell rang and Brennan left her window seat for the door. She had been trying to read her new favorite book, _Sisters by the Shore_, while waiting for Booth to come but Angela's words kept floating through her head. Was this picnic a date? She didn't think it was. It was merely friends eating together. They'd done that so many times before and those were _not_ dates.

"Hi Booth," she said, locking the door behind her. She slipped her key into her bag and walked down the steps. Booth opened her car door for her like the caring guy he always was. She smiled at him.

"Thank you." He got in his side and started up the car. They down along some side roads, not near any highly populated areas. They listened to a quiet jazz station on the radio as they drove in silence. Brennan didn't know why, but she felt this pleasant, bubbly feeling in her stomach. Like, maybe tonight would be different.

Soon, they turned down a dusty road, lined with overgrown grasses and wildflowers. They continued for maybe five minutes when the road ended. Booth parked the car and reached in the back for the basket and blanket. Brennan offered to carry something, but he turned her down. He wanted this picnic to be perfect for her. You always remember your firsts, after all. He thought back to his first picnic, playing around with Jared, catching fireflies and playing badmitton.

"This place is gorgeous. How did you find it Booth?" Brennan asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. The pair of them made their way down the hill to a large, grassy field. Booth smiled at her.

"Parker and I come here sometimes. For picnics."

"Oh. That's nice." They set their stuff down under a shady tree, their leaves making a roof of green over their heads. They spread out the blue and white plaid blanket Booth had brought and sat down. Brennan kicked off her white sandals and let the grass tickle her feet. She giggled, letting off some steam.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because."

"Because why?" He smiled as he pulled out the watermelon and feta cheese salad and the baguette from the basket. Brennan could be so confusing, but he couldn't think of a better person for a partner. She was so different from everyone else he knew.

"Because I'm enjoying this." She eyed the salad he had just set out. "Is that tomato?"

"No. Watermelon and feta cheese. You'll love it!"

"I will?"

"Just trust me on this one Bones. I am the master of picnics." He handed her a plate and watched as she took her first bite. Her eyes widened in delight.

"Oh my gosh! Booth, this is amazing! I had no idea..." she scooped up another bite in her mouth. They devoured their dinner, laughing and talking and joking around. Brennan was stunned that she could enjoy herself this much at just a simple event. She never thought that she would enjoy this picnic as much as she was.

"Get up!" Booth ordered, pulling Brennan to her feet.

"What are we doing?" she laughed, stumbling from his strength. He reached for two racquettes and a birdie.

"We," he said, handing her a racquette, "Are going to play badmitton. It's a picnic staple." He led her away from the tree and to the center of the field.

"But I don't know how to play!" she protested. He rolled his head back and laughed.

"Bones, it's not that hard. Just hit the birdie back and forth." He tossed the birdie up in the air and hit it towards her. Brennan ran forward, trying to position herself to catch it. She swung and missed, laughing the whole way. They ran back and forth, laughing and feeling the dirt squish between their toes, the grass still warm from the last rays of the July sun. It was still so warm and humid, they didn't even realize that it was already eight thirty. Fireflies were starting to flit through the air, flying back and forth, making the sky have a happy, friendly glow.

"Oh, fireflies!" Brennan dropped her racquette to the ground. She felt like such a child, getting excited over something so plain, so pure, so... wonderful. Booth smiled as she chased after one and cupped it in her hands.

"Did you catch one?" he asked, jogging over. She grinned excitedly and showed her firefly off. It glimmered in her hand for a moment, then spread its wings and flew away. Booth couldn't help but smile too- Bones was so happy. It was like he had given her back her childhood or something. He was stunned at his sudden realization... Brennan's family never had a picnic together! No wonder this was so special to her.

Brennan fell to the ground, giggling. He laid down next to her, and they stared at the stars for a long time, so long that they lost track. It started to get a little colder, and Brennan felt her temperature drop.

"You cold?" Booth asked. She nodded and he patted the grass next to him. She slid over next to him and could feel his heat radiating off him. They didn't realize it, but their hands brushed together and stayed there, warm and cold next to each other. Their fingers intertwined and they didn't stop it. They just stayed there in the grass, two good friends on one very special picnic in July.

***

**So there we have it. :) I hope you enjoyed that random oneshot! Review it for me, please and thank you.**

**xo, Chantal**


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